Musical instrument

Claim 1

IN WIND-TYPE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS WHEREIN THE DIFFERENT NOTES PRODUCED ARE DEPENDENT ON THE EFFECTIVE LENGTH OF THE INSTRUMENT AIR COLUMN AS DETERMINED BY THE CONVENTIONAL MANUALLY OPERATED PLAYING CONTROL MEANS FOR SAID INSTRUMENT, THAT IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING ADJUSTABLE MEANS FORMING AN UNOBSTRUCTED PART OF THE INSTRUMENT AIR COLUMN FOR VARYING THE EFFECTIVE LENGTH OF THE AIR COLUMN, POWER DRIVEN MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID LASTNAMED MEANS TO VARY THE LENGTH OF SAID INSTRUMENT AIR COLUMN RAPIDLY AND THEREBY THE FREQUENCY OF THE PRODUCED NOTE TO EITHER SIDE OF THE NOTE ACTUALLY PLAYED BY THE MUSICIAN, SAID POWER DRIVEN MEANS INCLUDING HOUSING MEANS ENCLOSING THE MOVABLE COMPONENTS THEREOF TO ASSURE THAT THE MOVING COMPONENTS OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY OF AND WITHOUT POSSIBILITY OF INTERFERENCE FROM THE MUSICIAN OR BY CONTACT WITH NEARBY OBJECTS, AND THERE BEING A PLURALITY OF SIMILARLY CONSTRUCTED INSTRUMENTS INTERCONNECTED TO COMMON POWER DRIVEN MEANS FOR VARYING THE LENGTHS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE AIR COLUMNS INDEPENDENTLY OF THE MANIPULATION OF THE MANUALLY OPERATED PLAYING CONTROL MEANS BY THE MUSICIAN PLAYING EACH INSTRUMENT, AND MEANS FOR OPERATING THE DRIVES TO THE MEANS FOR VARYING THE LENGTHS OF THE AIR COLUMN OF THE DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTS INCLUDING MEANS FOR GRADUALLY VARYING THE PHASE OPERATING RELATIONSHIP THEREOF THEREBY TO VARY THE PHASE RELATION OF THE PRODUCED VIBRATO OF THE DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTS.